Rollins responds to Ebola
The recent Ebola epidemic brought one lesson home loud and clear. In order to help better confront future outbreaks and epidemics, public health capacity must be shored up in Africa, where new diseases are likely to arise.
Toward that end, the Hubert Department of Global Health has been awarded a $7.43 million, five-year cooperative agreement by the CDC to establish the first African Center of Excellence for Public Health Security.
Initially, the center will provide in-country training for public health professionals in eight West African countries in disciplines including public health surveillance, epidemiology, laboratory, infectious disease, and preparedness. The long-term goal is to create a locally owned and operated public health preparedness center.
"The aim is for the center to be sustainable, to develop the capacity to influence public health policy, and to influence other things, such as data sharing, transparency, trust—the kinds of things that are necessary for early detection of epidemics," says Scott McNabb, global health professor, who is leading the project. Co-principal investigators are Carlos del Rio, Hubert Professor and chair of the department, and Saad Omer, associate professor of global health.
Closer to home, del Rio and Dabney Evans, assistant professor in global health, are teaching a Coursera class titled "Ebola: An Evolving Epidemic."
The six-week course discusses the state of global health before the epidemic, the care of patients in both developed and developing settings, and treatment for people who may be infected. It will conclude with conversations about the ways in which Ebola is changing public health. The course runs through May 11 and then will be available on an on-demand basis beginning in June.
Video:
Video summarizing the Coursera course ""Ebola: An Evolving Epidemic."
Related Resources:
Ebola: An Evolving Epidemic (Coursera)
"Free, online Ebola course offers a broad look at the epidemic" (3/5/2015)'
